Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Super Sad True Love Story

Super Sad True Love Story takes place in a dystopian New York of the not so distant future; far enough away as to still feel like the future, while close enough to seem eerily like what's coming next. A world filled with folks who don't know how to connect outside of online and don't know their worth apart from the attention of others. So that's super sad. But also super funny and super affecting. The true love story is one shared by Lenny and Eunice; the two characters taking turns telling their tale in every other chapter. Gary Shteyngart does a brilliant job of making the voices unique and believable, particularly when you consider that one is a young twentysomething Korean girl and the other is a Russian male pushing 40. This is Brave New World with more story and less sermonizing. It's got a lot of humor and a lot of heart. If, at first, it feels a little like a gimmick, keep reading. The further in you go, the better the story gets. In the end, it lives up to the best of what each word in its title implies; it's political and prophetic and wry and wise. It is a super sad true love story. And that is one of my favorite kinds.